Is Darko's best shot a his desired salary a sign and trade? Refusing to do so costs him 10's of millions. Is that a correct assumption?

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Yes. But Orlando probably has no interest in that because they would have to take back the salary that they pay Darko. Maybe you take the one year hit to get some salaries you can dump next year, but you might have to pay the tax, and the best you can hope for as an upside is a bunch of picks, which can't be traded in consecutive years, so it's a long time payoff for a team hoping to move up NOW.

Teams do S&Ts when they are going to get left empty handed, but in today's NBA of fiscal responsibility, deals like this are harder to pull off.

Darko is actually pretty screwed now when it comes to a big contract. That's the reality of his situation.

don't forget that if nothing else darko is a good defender. darko next to tim duncan would add another level to san antonio's defensive game. darko next to tim duncan would get him respect from the refs defensively. darko in the starting lineup raised d. howards game to a new level. it would do the same for timmy and vice versa. it's also the thing san antonio does every year adding another piece that will sustain thier semi dynasty.

in my opinion adding darko to pretty much any of the playoff teams gets them to the next round. who in the finals had a better center / pf than darko. i would say utah and maybe denver.

darko in the starting lineup raised d. howards game to a new level. it would do the same for timmy and vice versa. it's also the thing san antonio does every year adding another piece that will sustain thier semi dynasty.

in my opinion adding darko to pretty much any of the playoff teams gets them to the next round. who in the finals had a better center / pf than darko. i would say utah and maybe denver.

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i think d. howard is in for a rude awakening once darko leaves. darko brought his game to a new level....just kidding jay but it does look like darko will get his chance to lay the bust label to rest.

I thought this perspective on Darko was interesting...(from magicmadess.us forum)

And btw, the trade that made fans fall in love with Otis looks dumber and dumber everytime we make a move now.
We just traded Cato's expiring contract and the #15 pick for Arroyo and a year and a half of Darko.
Wow... I'd honestly rather have that 15th pick back

But with so few quality centers on the market (Chris Mihm, Jamaal Magloire, Brian Skinner headline the rest of the group), Milicic is expected to command a multiyear deal starting in the $7 to $8 million range. Some say that's optimistic, given that there are so few teams with any cap room. But if Milicic can find the right suitor, he could get big money from a team willing to overspend to find the next Jermaine O'Neal.
Never mind that for every late bloomer like O'Neal there are 10 overpaid disappointments like Jerome James.GMs will always be suckers for height.
"I wouldn't be surprised," said one West executive with more than 25 years in the league. "He's got talent. I don't know if he'd be the second pick in the draft again, but he can be a force. He's long and he's a shot-blocker and rebounder. ... He looks like he can be a player once he shakes off the rust a little bit and gets a chance to play. He needs a certain amount of attention... But he showed promise in Orlando. A lot of people think they can make something out of him."
Added a longtime West scout: "He's got a big upside. Teams are always looking for big men who can score, and he has a decent low-post game. I wonder about his desire a little. He's also been spotty in terms of performance on a night-to-night basis. Some games he has it, some he doesn't. ... But there are a lot of teams that would be willing to take a chance on a guy like that."

Power forward Darko Milicic never will play for the Orlando Magic this season or any other "as long as Otis Smith is general manager," an irate Marc Cornstein, told the Sentinel.

Late Tuesday, shortly after the Magic rennounced the rights to Milicic -- whom Smith had said was a priority before the free-agent courting period began -- Cornstein blasted Smith for being a "liar." He called Smith's handling of his client "deceitful, disrespectful and a disgrace."

Cornstein said Smith had indicated that the Magic wanted to re-sign Milicic, but then sent an e-mail to him Tuesday telling him they had renounced his rights and made him an unresticted free agent.

This is the most bizarre thing I've seen since Boozer stiffed a blind man. Makes zero sense, whether you're a DHOFer or not. You don't just release players that have trade potential.

From my perspective, Otis Smith lied to Darko, then cut him. It's like it was personal, he was trying to find any and every way to mess with him.

I completely understand keeping Rashard over Darko. It's a no brainer. But, why not work a sign and trade for Darko, and get something in return? Other GMs are quoted as having said they'd tried to do sign and trades with Orlando, but Otis wouldn't listen.

Even Joe managed to get two 2nd rounders for Delfino. You think Darko may have been worth something in this draft? Weird, strange, Otis Smith should be fired. Not for releasing Darko, but for going out of his way to make sure he got nothing in return.

Anyone who can think of any rational reasons for this, I'd love to here them.

BTW, my bet is San Antonio gets Darko with their MLE, with a wink and a nod to use their 2008 cap space for a better deal if Darko produces.